One thing that many homeschoolers have the opportunity to focus on is teaching them a foreign language. In public schools they do offer a foreign language, but you are limited to just one or two options. With homeschooling, you have the opportunity to focus on a variety of options. So how can you decide which foreign language to introduce to your homeschooler? The suggestions below may prove to be helpful.
Can they put it to use
The first thing that you can look at is whether or not they will be able to put it to good use. For example do they live in an area where were many people speak the language. This will help them be able to put their language into good practice. Or perhaps it is a language that is very popular in the business world. For example Spanish is one language that many companies would like all of their employees to be able to speak. Of course you may not know what career they will go into when they are older, but you can choose one, or several languages that proves to be beneficial.
Can you afford it
Being able to find a curriculum or a class that your homeschooler can take in order to learn a language can prove to be beneficial. Take a look at the budget that you have and decide if you can fit this into your price range. It would also prove to be beneficial to look around in your area for classes that your kids can take, but don’t forget to check the prices.
What would they like
Even if you start teaching them a particular language when they are young, you can always change this up as they get older. See what language they would be interested in learning. It may be a language that you have never considered before. If they are not sure than why not take the time to expose them to several languages and allow them to see which one is of interest to them.
How much of a workload
Find out how much of an additional workload this will add to the homeschool day. If it is going to be too much of a workload, than you may want to reconsider. Some families choose to help their children learn a foreign language during the summer months after they have finished the school curriculum for the year. This will help you to avoid feeling overwhelmed with teaching.